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California lawmakers call for suicide prevention hotline number to be on all gun packaging

“Though there’s a strong connection between firearms and suicide, there is currently no mandated information on suicide prevention resources at any point during the process of obtaining a firearm,” said Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, who introduced a bill to do so earlier this year.

Assembly Bill 645 would require the number be included on gun packaging and on the state's firearm safety certification exam. Legislators gave their OK and now the bill sits on the governor's desk.

On Monday, Irwin stood outside the Ventura County Government Center with Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village, who proposed similar federal legislation last week. Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub and Public Health Director Rigoberto Vargas were there in support of the measures.

Irwin called gun suicides a public health crisis and credited local veteran James Espinoza with bringing attention to the issue.

"Too many of our veterans and first responders and family members are taking their lives on a daily basis," said Espinoza, an Army veteran who has worked in law enforcement for 15 years. Many use a gun.

"I’ve seen effects of suicide as a cop and it sucks, to be honest with you," he said Monday. "I’ve had to do death notifications. I’ve seen the aftermath. I’ve seen the families in despair."

Then last year, his own brother died.

His brother grew up in the area, surfed off the coast and played sports. He was a West Point graduate and an Army veteran, Espinoza said.

In April 2018, his brother shot himself.

"It should have never happened, should have never happened,” Espinoza said, stopping for a breath when his voice became thick with emotion. "But it did."

He reached out to Irwin's office and their conversations led to AB 645. He said Monday he hoped seeing the number will push someone to pick up the phone to get help.

Brownley’s proposal would require gun manufacturers and retailers to include warning labels that say: “Warning: If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.”

Two-thirds of gun deaths nationwide are from suicide, Brownley said. Close to 24,000 people in the United States died from suicide by gun in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“But the tragedy is not the statistic," she said. "It’s the lives that are shattered and the lives that are lost."

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, for both English and Spanish speakers, can be reached at 1-800-273-8255 or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. The lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Cheri Carlson covers the environment for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.